🪴This Week In Houseplants🪴
Let there be light!
I read an absolute banger of a quote the other day. I can’t remember the Reddit post that linked to this article, but I’m very glad they did. If you find the whole concept of bright, indirect light confusing, then this may help clear things up:
Bright Indirect Light Requirements By Plant
The quote was phenomenal: ‘there’s no such thing as a green thumb, just people with large, unobstructed windows’.
It’s SO TRUE. Not only does increasing the light to your plants make them grow bigger and faster, but it also helps them fend off pest infestations, makes them less susceptible to root rot, and they’re just generally healthier.
Of course, all the big windows in the world won’t make up for the fact the sun pops it’s head up for about five hours this time of year (in North Yorkshire anyway). I would sort my grow lights out but:
I took everything out of my office (everything. Carpets and all) so I could replaster the walls. Everything is crammed into my bedroom. No room for grow light setups.
My bathroom shower has been secretly leaking since the previous owners installed it (I assume it’s DIY because…wow). I need the whole bathroom ripping out and replacing. All other bills, including energy bills, must therefore be as low as possible.
It’s been quite the week! Also, I’m saving up to get a professional to do the office. All the plasterboard needs replacing, and this house does NOT deserve any more DIY, especially not from me.
So all my plants are crammed together in my bedroom and living room. It’s not ideal because it creates a gorgeous environment for pests to really build up numbers, but I’ve taken the approach I usually do over winter: as long as I can keep my plants alive, I can always get them back to full health in spring. It’s fine!
ANYWAY
Has anyone seen this video on Pythium in Thai Cons? I didn’t know about any of this drama (there’s a lot of houseplant drama online somewhere, but I’m not privy to it 😠Basically, loads of people thought that the original Thai Constellation mother plant was infected with pathogenic fungi called Pythium, and that’s why their deflasking rate is so low. This guy debunks the myth using the very underused media of fake talk shows. I loved it!
There are a lot of people trying to score cheap variegated Monstera by buying them still in the tissue culture flask. This is great if you’re experienced at acclimating TC plants, but I wouldn’t advise it for newbies. Thais are getting cheaper all the time, so patience is probs your best bet.
New articles
I did a poll last week asking what species people wanted me to cover next, and the answer was peace lilies, with syngoniums as a close runner-up. The first article is always one that covers a lot of topics, but is not very in-depth - like a speedrunner’s guide:
There will be more to come, so watch this space.
Here are a few recent or recently updated articles:
What to do with droopy Monstera - Monstera are naturally pretty droopy, because they have long petioles and big leaves, but there are a few things you can do to keep them as upright as possible
My beginner’s guide to grow lights - because not everyone has all their belongings crammed in one room and a shower that’s threatening to fall through into the floor into the kitchen
I have no idea why I find aerial roots so fascinating but I do. Plants have basically grown modified arm/hook hybrids. Wild. Following on from last week’s newsletter, it’s another area that showcases how little research has been done into aroids. There are five recognised types of aerial roots, and climbing aerial roots don’t really fall into any of those categories.
New video
Ok, I’m writing this email the day before it goes out and before the video is public. It should be live by the time the email is delivered, so the video should populate. We shall see! If you can see a grey box that says ‘this video is private’ I have made a boo boo. Sorry.
This week’s video contains the true and horrifying tale of the time my Thai Constellation got stem rot. It was grim.
Comments on my website
I love when people comment on my blog, and I always reply, however, Wordpress doesn’t notify people when I reply to their comments. It’s for privacy reasons, which I get (though you voluntarily leave your email address) but it is annoying.
You can leave a comment and set yourself a reminder to revisit the page at a later date but if you have an urgent query you can leave me a comment at the bottom of this (or any) newsletter. Or fill in the contact form on my website.
That’s it for this week, I’ll see you next week!
Caroline
Now to see if I can schedule this properly.